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--> --> Bills to increase prison protections win final approval SALEM (AP) - Prisoners and the officers who arrest and incarcerate them would get more protections under bills that won final legislative approval Thursday and were forwarded to the governor, who is expected to sign them. HB2918 would quicken the appellate process for criminal defendants; HB2624 would make assaulting a police or corrections officer a felony. The first bill was designed to avoid the delays that often keep criminal trials from moving swiftly through the appeals process. The bill sets up specific time guidelines for the Circuit Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court for when they must determine the validity of certain motions, such as a request to suppress evidence, before a trial begins. For defendants accused of murder or aggravated murder, the Supreme Court must hand down its decision within one year. For defendants already in jail who are then charged with a felony, the Circuit Court must hand down its decision within six months. The bill was introduced after the Oregon Supreme Court ordered death row inmate Scott Dean Harberts to be released after ruling that he did not have a speedy trial. Accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a 2-year-old girl, he spent more than five years in the Clackamas County Jail before his trial even began. "The purpose of the bill is to avoid the results of the Harberts case," said John Bradley, assistant to the Multnomah County district attorney. "It requires both courts to put these cases on a fast track." HB2624, sponsored by Rep. Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, creates a maximum sentence of five years in prison or $100,000 in fines for anyone who assaults a public safety officer, which includes prison guards, nurses and any other unarmed personnel at a corrections facility. A companion measure, HB3244, which would make assaulting a taxi driver a felony, also passed unanimously. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing